Birth Preparation Classes

Birthing From Within and İçsel Doğum childbirth preparation courses are designed to support you as expectant mother and father on your journey through pregnancy, birth and into parenting. Through pain-coping practices, role-playing, journaling and art processes, this course will support you in gaining valuable insights into your personal hopes, fears and desires for pregnancy, birth and parenthood. Whether you birth normally, with or without medications, or by cesarean birth, the aim of the course is to provide you with the tools to birth in awareness, with a strong coping mindset.

Birthing From Within and İçsel Doğum classes are not narrowly focused on a particular type of birth, but are rather a balance of three kinds of knowing: modern medical practices and birth culture; instinctual knowing of the body in birth; and personal, deep knowing of yourself. The classroom is a stimulating environment, including lively discussions and engaging exercises in which you will not only learn about the ins-and-outs of birth and postpartum, but during which you will have the opportunity to thoughtfully explore which options may be best for you in a non-judgemental environment.

Classes differ from one another, as topics change to suit the needs of parents in attendance. Some topics we may explore include:Massage techniques, positioning, and self-hypnosis and visualizations for coping with pain and easing labor
Birthing in Turkish culture
Birth as a hero’s journey

The reality of life after birth: baby care and feeding, self care, and marriage care

Giving birth from within during a Cesarean, while using pain medicaiton, or with medical support.

Pushing your baby out and welcoming your baby

Ultimately, the goal is to empower you to seek the information you need to birth and raise your child in the way you find most physically, emotionally and spiritually healthy.

Philisophical Assumptions and Guiding Principles of Birthing From Within and İçsel Doğum Childbirth Preparation Classes

Childbirth is a profound rite of passage, not a medical event (even when medical care is part of the birth).
The essence of childbirth preparation is self-discovery, not assimilating obstetric information.

The teacher (mentor) is “midwife” to the parents’ discovery process, not the expert from whom wisdom flows.

Parents’ individual needs and differences determine class content. The purpose of childbirth preparation is to prepare mothers to give birth-in-awareness, not to achieve a specific birth outcome.

Pregnancy and birth outcome are influenced by a variety of factors, but can’t be controlled by planning.

In order to help parents moblize their coping resources, it is critical for childbirth classes to acknowledge that unexpected, unwelcome events may happen during labor.

Parents deserve support for any birth option which might be right for them (whether it be medication, cesarean, home birth, breastfeeding or bottle-feeding).

Pain is an inevitable part of childbirth, yet much can be done to ease suffering.

Pain-coping practices work best when integrated into daily life, rather than “dusted off” for labor.

Fathers and birth partners help best as birth guardians or loving partners, not as coaches; they also need support.